Horse Slipping tongue

Question
I have a Pony of America that is 18 years old.  I bought her about 6 months ago.  She is a great horse.  She runs barrels, poles, flag races, goat tying and break away roping.

The only issue she has is that she slips her tongue over her bit.  WE have tried tieing her tongue, which seems cruel, but she does not slip it.  We have used a Cavanaugh on her.  But she still slips her tongue with it.

Can you offer a training tip to assist me in training her not to slip her tongue.

Answer
Hi Emma!

Woops, don't tie up the tongue!  Tie up the BIT! This only works with a snaffle bit and is only necessary with young horses that do not know how to carry a bit.  You can take a length of twine about 2 feet long and create a loop at one end with a slip knot.  You then loop it around your bit, then slip the loop into your horses mouth, and around the upper jaw above the nose, take the end of the string and tie it around the forelock and secure it with a half-hitch.  This keeps the bit resting on the upper palette of the mouth and makes it impossible to get the tongue over the bit...now for the REAL question...at 18 there is something more going on here.

What sort of bit are you using?  There is some real resistance in your horse to have the tongue and mouth so uncomfortable that your horse is trying to find some place better and safer for her tongue to go!  Most of the events that this horse is used for, unless your horsemanship is spot on, ends up with a lot of kicking and pulling going on.  The issue here is not really the tongue, but what is happening in the horses mind.  Many times these strange behaviors are the result of some very unfair and harsh treatment, lots of pulling on the mouth to make turns.  I see this very often in thoroughbreds on the track.  It is a result of a very high stress life and again, pulling on the mouth and a response to pain.  The only real way to solve this problem is by getting to the feet, not pulling on the mouth, going back to the snaffle bit and riding with quality and fairness.  

If you could fill me in on a few more of the details, like when you see this behavior first happen, how handy your horse is in lateral movement, can she stop and turn with only the shift of weight in your seat and legs, does this behavior occur only when riding...I may be able to offer up some additional help.

Thank YOU!  Denise